One More Chance: A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance

by Amy Brent

  “There you are,” I said.

  But as quickly as I grabbed her hand, she pulled it away.

  “So, how’s work going today?” she asked.

  “It’s going fine. Nothing that can’t wait until Monday, though.”

  “You make it a habit of working on Saturdays?”

  “No. Just woke up with nothing to do.”

  She nodded as our salads were sat in front of us. She unfolded her silverware and fumbled with her fork, her hand trembling. I hated seeing her this way. I wish she’d simply spit it out and get it over for the both of us. I didn’t want our entire lunch to be this way. I still wanted to enjoy seeing her. My heart sped up the longer she just played with her food, never eating more than a bite or two.

  “Ana, you aren’t eating.”

  “Just waiting on my eggplant parmesan.”

  “You always douse your salad in oil and vinegar,” I said.

  “What, are you critiquing my every move?” she bit out.

  “No. I’m merely observing that something’s on your mind. Something you wanted to see me about so we could talk.”

  She sighed and dropped her fork, then pulled her napkin from her lap. She dabbed at her mouth even though she hadn’t taken a bite, her mind completely on autopilot. She was rehearsing her speech. She always did that whenever she had something she needed to say to someone.

  I needed her to spit it out already.

  “I have something to tell you, and I have no idea how you’re going to react,” she said.

  “I’m all ears whenever you’re ready.”

  Our main courses were put down in front of us, but they were ignored. My eyes locked on Ana’s face as she drew in a deep breath. Her eyes fell to her lap.

  “I want to start out by saying that I’m sorry. At the time, I thought I was making the right decision.”

  “Ana, say it,” I said.

  “You remember the other day? When you met my son?”

  “Yes. I remember when I met Brody.”

  “He’s not just my son, Tyler.”

  “Whose son is he, Ana?”

  Tears welled in her eyes, and it felt like a knife had been plunged into my heart. Despite how much I had prepared myself for this conversation, I was nowhere near ready to hear it. I sat back in my chair as Ana’s face wrinkled up, tears streaming down her reddening cheeks.

  “Say it.”

  “I’m so sorry, Tyler.”

  “I have to hear you say it, Ana.”

  “Please don’t be upset—”

  “Say it.”

  Her eyes panned up to mine, and I watched wall after wall be thrown up. I heard my tone of voice. I knew it sounded familiar. It was the tone of the angry eighteen-year-old boy who’d had nothing to be angry about that day.

  “He’s your son, Tyler. Brody is your son.”

  Her words hit me like a cannonball, and I felt a pain unlike anything I had ever experienced. My suspicions had been correct. I had known they had been. But that still hadn’t prepared me for hearing it from Ana’s mouth.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  “I didn’t want to hold you back, Tyler.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Ana?”

  “I didn’t want you to miss out on Harvard because you had knocked up your high school sweetheart.”

  “Why did you keep my son from me!?”

  Ana jumped in her seat as people poked their heads out of the kitchen.

  So that was why she had sat us back here.

  “Because when you looked into my eyes and told me you were happy about going across the country to get away from me, I had known I’d made the right decision.”

  “What?” I asked breathlessly.

  “The last thing I ever wanted to do was hold you back, especially when I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. When I found out I was pregnant that morning—”

  “So you knew.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “You knew when you came to visit me that day that you were pregnant?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “No.”

  “Why would you do that to me, Ana? Why would you take that decision away from me?”

  “Because you were going off to Harvard to make something of yourself. Because you had just told me you were glad to get away from me. Because the last thing I wanted you to do was stay in Los Angeles and go to some mediocre law school here because of a child we got pregnant with.”

  “That doesn’t excuse not telling me, Ana! That’s my son. You were carrying my child, half of me. I had a right to make that decision for myself!”

  “I’m sorry, Tyler.”

  “You’re sorry? You’re sorry that I missed out on the first eight years of my son’s life? You’re sorry that I missed his birth? You’re sorry that I missed out on a chance to have a family with the girl I loved? The woman I still love!?”

  I felt my anger growing. I saw her tears, but I couldn't stop. All the hurt, all the pain, and all the guilt and regret and sleepless nights came flooding back to my mind.

  Had she really not seen how much I had loved her? How much I still loved her?

  “Did you not trust me?” I asked.

  She sniffled, and I broke.

  “Did you not trust me!?”

  “Sir, I think you need to leave.”

  The manager had approached our table. I looked back at Ana, who was crying to herself in her chair.

  “He’s my son,” I said. “My boy, Ana. And you had no right to rob me of that decision based on a fight that meant nothing.”

  “It didn’t mean nothing at the time, Tyler. At the time, it was all I had.”

  Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, and tears rushed to my eyes.

  “All you had.”

  “I was scared, Tyler. I’d just found out I was pregnant and the boy I loved so much told me he was happy to get away from me. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Tell me you were pregnant,” I said.

  “Sir, you need to go,” the manager said.

  “I’ve got one more thing to say, and then I’m done. Ana, you didn’t have just that to go on. You had two and a half years of love. Two and a half years of dates and laughter and nights where we snuck out just to see one another. Two and a half years of hour-long conversations over the phone and make-out sessions under the bleachers after football games. Two and a half years, and you judged the single most important moment of my life based on a few words I said in under two seconds.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I’m so sorry, Tyler.”

  “Put the lunch on my tab,” I said.

  “No,” Ana said.

  “I said put it on my tab,” I bit out.

  “I’ll make sure it gets charged correctly,” the manager said. “But it’s time you and your temper leave my establishment.”

  Leaving my food to cool on the table, I stumbled out of the restaurant. I tripped over chairs before I pushed myself out onto the street. Tears lined my eyes. My heart was shattered into pieces. I cupped my hands over my mouth and roared out into the bustling world of Los Angeles before I wandered around to find my car.

  I had a son.

  Holy shit. I had a son.

  Ana

  I put in endless calls to Tyler over the weekend. It had been three days since we had spoken, and I hadn’t heard a peep. I had tried getting him out to lunch, to dinner, to drinks, but my calls were going unreturned. He had a right to be upset. He had a right to be angry. But he knew he had a son now, and he was still dodging my calls?

  This was exactly what I had been afraid of.

  “So, what do you think I should do?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Part of me thinks you should give him some time to come around. But part of me feels that you didn’t have time to come around to any of it. You were pregnant, and that was that. You didn’t have a choice in whether or not to be a mother,” Kristi
said.

  “Brody knows something’s wrong. I’m trying to keep it under wraps as best as I can, but every time I look at him, I know I’m blatantly lying to him by not telling him who Tyler is.”

  “Do you want Brody to know?”

  “I made a promise that I would never lie to him. Our relationship is built on trust, and I want to keep it that way. But if he stays under the impression that Tyler was simply a friend, that’s a lie. It simply is.”

  “You could argue technicalities.”

  “If I have to argue technicalities as a mother, it’s still wrong,” I said.

  “I can only tell you what I would do, Ana. And even then, it’s coming from a place of pure emotion. I don’t have children, though I practically consider Brody my son.”

  “I’ll take any advice I can get at this point.”

  “Have you talked with your parents?”

  “Do you think I should?”

  “Honestly? No. I think your father might hunt him down and kill him. For me, there’s no reason for him to be screening your calls. Nor was there any reason for him to raise his voice at you like he did. It was enough for him to get kicked out of that restaurant, and that doesn’t sit well with me.”

  “It was like that night all over again, and I knew it would happen. In the back of my mind, I knew he would get that upset.”

  “I mean, he has a right to be upset, and you acknowledge that. But he’s also an adult. He didn’t have to yell at you. He could’ve kept his cool if he had wanted to.”

  “You think I should try calling him again?” I asked.

  “I think you should. And I think that if tonight rolls around and he hasn’t contacted you at all, then you need to do what you feel is best as a mother.”

  “Why isn’t there a manual on this sort of thing?” I asked.

  “Because life isn’t that kind to us,” she said.

  “I really thought this would turn out differently. I really thought Tyler would step up and at least be here for Brody. It was the only reason I told him.”

  “The only reason?”

  “Well, one of the only reasons.”

  “Look, you haven't heard from him in three days, and not for a lack of trying. Shy of going to his office—which isn’t smart because you didn’t like him coming into the store—you’ve tried everything. If you feel it’s time to tell Brody who Tyler is, then it’s time. You’re his mother, and you ultimately know best.”

  “I can’t believe Brody’s going to find out without Tyler. I really wanted Tyler to be there for this.”

  “It’s his loss. It’s what he gets for pulling away. Even if it’s only temporary, it’s still not right. You didn’t get to pull away from this. You didn’t get to set your pregnant belly off to the side and take a three-day breather. Tyler’s smarter than this. He’s making a choice that he’ll have to contend with.”

  “Why do I still feel like this is wrong?”

  “Because you’re a good person, Ana. You’re a good person who has been put in an impossible situation. Really, all you need to do is look at it this way: You told Tyler who Brody is, but it’s still you and Brody against the world—and me, of course. If you don’t want to do it alone, I’ll come over and help.”

  “No, no. I just—” I put my head in my hands and raked my fingers through my hair. “Thanks for talking with me.”

  “Anytime. And if you want me to come over and help you talk to Brody, please don’t hesitate to call, okay?” Kristi asked.

  “I appreciate it. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I hung up the phone with Kristi and tried Tyler one last time. His phone rang and rang before shooting me to voice mail, and I left him yet another one. I followed it up with a text message that we really needed to talk about how to proceed. Then I set my phone off to the side.

  I’d give him until the end of the day to call me back.

  The hours ticked on, and I watched my phone incessantly. Brody and I did our chores, then settled in for a movie that made us both belly laugh until we cried. I ran around with him outside and watched as he climbed the massive tree in our front yard. He couldn’t get too far on his own, so we ran to the store and I bought a rope climb for him, then tied it off on one of the branches and watched him work his way up and down the tree.

  And still, Tyler hadn’t called.

  After feeding my son dinner and standing by while he took a shower, I got him ready for bed. It had officially been three days since I’d spoken with Tyler, and there wasn’t anything in regard to communication from his end. No missed calls. No emails. No texts. Nothing. It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the planet.

  I helped Brody into his pajamas and then he went diving into his bed, and my heart stopped in my chest as he looked up at me. It was the eyes of his father that gazed into mine.

  “Sweetheart, you know Mommy loves you, right?” I asked.

  “Uh huh.”

  “So you know that I would never want to hurt you.”

  “I know.”

  “And you know that I always want to keep you away from anything that might cause you pain.”

  “I love you too, Mommy.”

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” I said.

  He sat up in bed as I held out my arm for him. He nestled into my side, and I closed my eyes. Shit. This was really happening. I was about to deliver this news without his father by our side. I kissed the top of his head and willed my tears to stay at bay, hoping and praying my phone would ring.

  I listened for it, for any sound that might indicate Tyler was contacting me.

  But the only sound I could hear was that of our breathing filling the room.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” Brody asked.

  “Do you remember when we were eating lunch the other day and my friend Tyler showed up?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Sweetheart, Tyler isn’t simply a friend of mine.”

  “He’s not?”

  “No, he’s not. He’s actually a very special person. He helped me make a very special person who I enjoy every day of my life with.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I shuffled in front of my son and took his hands in mine.

  “You know how you have all these questions about your father? And how I try to answer them as best as I can?”

  “Yeah. You told me that Daddy is really smart.”

  “He is. Do you remember what else I told you about him?”

  “That you loved him and he loved you, and that’s how I came along, because your love was really strong. So strong that it made me.”

  “Exactly. Well, Tyler is the man I loved, the man who helped me make you.”

  Brody’s eyes bulged, and I drew in a deep breath.

  “Tyler’s your father, sweetheart.”

  His wide eyes showed a hurt that was unexplainable. He sank back into his pillows as tears crested his eyes. He pulled his hands away from me, and the move broke my heart in two. In an instant, I was at his side, brushing away his tears and smoothing his shaggy hair from his eyes and trying to comfort my son during this confusing time.

  “You said Tyler was a friend.”

  “I’m sorry. I know I did. Tyler is a friend, a very good one. One I loved and cherished, just like I do you.”

  “So, he’s here.”

  “He is.”

  “He’s here, like in town,” he said.

  “He is.”

  “Then why isn’t he with us?”

  That one question shattered my already broken heart into a million pieces, and tears crested my eyes. Brody buried himself into me, wrapping his arms around my neck. His shoulders moved with his sobs, and it shattered my world, filled me with an unexplainable anger toward Tyler.

  And yet I was just as responsible. I had never wanted to hurt my son. I had never wanted to see him like this.

  “Why isn’t Daddy here?” he asked.

  “Because Daddy didn’t kno
w he was a daddy until a few days ago.”

  Brody pulled back and wiped at his tears before his dark green eyes found mine.

  “What?” he asked.

  “When I was growing you, Daddy didn’t know. Daddy was off getting really smart and making sure he could take care of himself. And when he came home, I told him about us.”

  “When?”

  “Three days ago.”

  “So he knows. He should be here, Mom. Why doesn’t he want to be with me?”

  “It’s got nothing to do with that,” I said as I wiped his tears away.

  “Does he not like me?”

  “Oh no, sweetheart. Oh, it’s nothing like that. He likes you. In fact, he loves you, very much.”

  “Then he should be here.”

  “Brody, do you remember when we threw Papa that surprise birthday party?” I asked.

  “The one last year?”

  “Mmhm. Remember how we jumped out and yelled surprise, and it took him a few minutes before he was happy about it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s because he wasn’t expecting it. The surprise was good and made him happy beyond his wildest dreams, but he needed time to understand the surprise.”

  “Daddy needs time?” he asked.

  “Yes, Daddy needs time. And I’m sure once he takes his time like Papa did, he’ll come to find that the surprise of you will make him happy beyond his wildest dreams, because you are an amazing boy. You are amazing, and funny, and so intelligent. You like so many things he does. The two of you will have lots to talk about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, your Daddy used to play football and soccer in high school.”

  “He did?”

  “He did. You have a lot of his mannerisms, too.”

  “His what?”

  I laughed at his scrunched-up face. “Small actions, how you behave. You also both have a curiosity for the world.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It means you really like finding out what’s true and what’s not,” I said.

  “So, I might have a Daddy that’s like me?” he asked.

  I smoothed his hair away from his forehead before I heaved a heavy sigh.

  “Yes, sweetheart. You might have a daddy that’s like you,” I said.